The Turkish army says it has inflicted "heavy losses" on rebels from the Kurdish separatist PKK movement across the border in Iraq. The army said it fired on a group of about 50 rebels, though the statement did not say troops entered Iraq. In October, Turkey’s parliament voted to allow the military to launch operations into Iraq to combat the PKK, which had stepped up attacks in

Turkey. But Iraq and the US have urged Turkey not to carry out its threat.